Norman Abated

Norman Alden, who with 237 roles in a 50-year career may have elicited the phrase, “Hey, it’s that guy,” more than any actor in history, has died of natural causes at the age of 87. He asked about Marty McFly’s life jacket as the diner owner in Back to the Future, voiced Aquaman, gave Electra Woman and Dyna Girl their marching/awkward flying orders, was a color-blind cameraman in Ed Wood, and he was Lou the Mechanic in 7 years of AC Delco commercials. And of course he played Senator William Orloff, who had received a no-pay mortgage from the Ewings, but had to resign his seat when Cliff Barnes got J.R.’s secretary/mistress Julie Grey to spill company secrets after J.R. loved her and left her (with  a $100 bill on the pillow to buy herself something pretty).